


No Time For Cowardice

by TMar



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 14:18:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16578134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMar/pseuds/TMar
Summary: Guinan makes Beverly face her feelings for Picard.





	No Time For Cowardice

**Author's Note:**

> This story is meant to take place after 'All Good Things' but before Generations.

NO TIME FOR COWARDICE

Picard walked into Sickbay intending to ask Beverly if she was free  
for dinner that night, since he would be attending a conference the  
next morning and wouldn't be able to make breakfast. He found her  
sitting at the desk, dabbing listlessly at her eyes with a tissue.

"Doctor?"

No response.

"Beverly?"

Beverly looked up. "Can I help you, Captain?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner tonight,  
considering that I won't be on board tomorrow."

Beverly shook her head. "I'm really not very good company, Jean-Luc.   
Maybe you should find someone who is."

"I don't mind. We can't break tradition because of a conference."

"No, I mean, why would you want to have dinner with me? I'm a  
horrible person!" And she started crying again.

Picard sat down, taking her hand across the desk. "What are you  
talking about?"

"I had a fight with Alyssa," replied the doctor. "And now that I  
think about it, I was the one who was wrong."

Picard looked puzzled. Apologise, if need be. "Doctor..."

"No, Jean-Luc, I mean, I was right in what I said, but I was wrong  
to say it the way I did. I think I hurt Alyssa's feelings, and I  
didn't mean to. I've been under some stress lately."

"I know," he said gently. "All those autopsies after that massacre  
along the Cardassian border. As long as the Maquis are operating, the  
Cardassians are going to retaliate."

"That's no excuse for biting my head nurse's head off about a  
trivial thing!" said Beverly.

"No, it isn't. Why don't you go and find Nurse Ogawa and  
apologise, and I'll meet you in Ten Forward at 20:00."

Beverly wiped her eyes again, gave him a smile, and went looking  
for Alyssa.

***

When Picard walked into Ten Forward that night, he found Beverly  
immediately. Or at least, he spotted her with no trouble. She was  
wearing one of her own numerous designs. This one was of an emerald  
silk, made from the silk of the silkworms of Rigel VI, and it glowed  
when she moved. Picard's breath was utterly taken away.

Beverly smiled demurely when he joined her. "You like, Jean-Luc?"

"Oh, yes, very much." 

"I felt the occasion called for something special, and I  
remembered buying this material when we stopped at Starbase 148. It  
can't be replicated, so I sewed it all myself."

"It suits you," said Picard, wondering if he wasn't getting onto  
dangerous ground here.

"Why, thank you, sir," said Beverly, her eyes lowered. Then,  
"Shall we eat?"

They discussed various dishes for a few moments, then decided to  
leave it up to Fate... or more correctly, Guinan.

Guinan arrived a few minutes later with a large tray filled with  
various delicacies. "What's all this?" asked Picard.

"Tonight is Federation Food Night."

"I didn't - " began Picard, but Guinan refused to be interrupted.

"I just decided. Time we got a food tradition going here. Tonight you  
get to sample ten dishes from ten different planets."

Picard and Beverly looked at the food. There was a plate of raght,  
plomeek soup, some Japanese noodles, venureen, and a lot of food that  
neither recognised. They looked at each other, shrugged, and began eating.

"So..." said Picard, trying to look as if he really did want to  
eat a live worm from Kronos, "what did Alyssa say?"

Beverly smiled. "She said, 'There is no offense where none is  
taken'. That's a Vulcan saying."

Picard nodded, chewing. The raght was actually not half bad. "One  
of Surak's, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, well, she said she'd probably be snapping at people, too,  
if she'd had to perform all those autopsies in such a hurry."

"And that's it?"

The doctor smiled, nodding. "That's it. Now that I've had a chance  
to rest, and think, I realise that sometimes I overreact."

Picard wanted to say something like, "Sometimes, Doctor?", but he  
didn't. Beverly was a very calm, rational person, except when it came  
to three things: her son, her patients, and... himself. Instead,  
Picard asked, "So, what *did* you overreact about?"

"It's silly, really. It was something about the order in which my  
samples were stored. Alyssa has a very specific system, it just isn't  
the same as mine. I... well, she tried to explain why her system  
would be more efficient, but I wouldn't listen."

"And what happens now?"

"We use my system because I'm used to it. But next time I will try  
to be more understanding."

"Good for you."

They ate in silence for a while, looking around at the various  
couples gathered in the room. Ten Forward was a very public place,  
but it was also a relaxing place, a place to see friends. Picard and  
Beverly spotted Deanna and Worf at a table. Alexander, presumably,  
had eaten already and was in bed.

"What do you think of that?" Picard asked, nodding his head in the  
direction of the Security Chief and Counselor.

Beverly smiled. "I think it's romantic." She looked even more amused   
after a minute, and looked Picard in the eye. "I seem to recall a time   
when Worf kept saying that human women were too fragile."

"I remember," said Picard, smiling a rare genuine smile.

"I wonder how Will feels," Beverly suddenly said.

"I suppose... he feels the way I did, when you said..." Picard  
trailed off, not really wanting to get into that. At least, not here.

"When I said we should be afraid."

"Yes."

Beverly looked down for a long time. "I was wrong, Jean-Luc."

Picard dropped his fork onto the plate. "What?"

The doctor shrugged. "I was wrong."

"And... when did you realise this?"

"About ten minutes after I left your quarters."

Picard could hardly believe it. It had taken him more than fifteen  
years to get up the courage to tell Beverly how he felt, and when he  
finally had, she had refused him. And now she was telling him  
something else again.

"Doctor, I don't think I want to go through all of this again."

Picard put his napkin on the table, got up and left. He went  
straight to his quarters and began gathering together the few things  
he'd need at the conference.

***

Beverly almost followed Picard, but changed her mind and decided to  
finish dinner. If there was to be nothing, between them, then let it be so.

"I'm disappointed," came a voice next to her elbow.

Crusher looked up to find Guinan standing there. "Excuse me?"

"I'm disappointed in you, Doctor."

"Why?" asked Beverly in a shocked tone.

"Playing hard to get doesn't become you."

"Play -- " began Beverly, but Guinan interrupted. 

"Picard loves you. Ever since I've known him, you've been the only   
woman he has constantly loved. To get up the courage to tell you   
was a great effort for him."

"Guinan, it's..."

"Not that simple. It never is." Guinan sat down facing the doctor.  
"I think you're both cowards," she said. "Life must be lived, not  
hidden from. And I know you love him."

Beverly shook her head, opened her mouth. But once again Guinan  
spoke first. "You're about to tell me I don't understand, or that  
it's none of my business. But that's not true. I've known Picard  
for... a long time. And I think the two of you are wasting years  
dancing around the topic."

Crusher still wanted to say more, but Guinan got up. "Excuse me."  
She then began attending to other patrons of the bar-lounge.

***

Beverly sat there thinking for a long while. Everything Guinan had  
said was true. She, Beverly Howard Crusher, had been on the verge of  
telling Picard how she felt numerous times, but each time there had  
been a convenient interruption. She knew that Guinan was right. She  
was a coward. They had both been cowards.

***

Picard was still awake at 05:30 the next morning, attempting to read  
a fiction book that someone had given him, telling him it was about  
archaeology. Instead he found it was a novel about people travelling  
from the Earth to the other side of the universe, using Egyptology  
to spice up the story. He found it interesting, if a little  
elementary... But at least it took his mind off Beverly. Or, he was  
hoping it would take his mind off her.

His door chime sounded. "Come."

Beverly stood in the doorway looking chastened. "I was just  
lectured by Guinan."

"About what?"

"Us. Twice in one day I've been irrational. I actually tried to convince   
her that things besides fear were preventing me from responding to you."

"Come in, Beverly."

Beverly walked in and sat across the table from where he was. "I  
should have known that Guinan would make me see reason."

"Sometimes Guinan interferes -- "

"No, Jean-Luc. Guinan was right. She said we were both cowards. We've   
been cowards for so long, we don't know how to be anything else."

"You're right," agreed Picard. He sighed, a cleansing sigh. "So,  
Doctor, what now?"

"I don't want to be afraid anymore, and I hope you don't either."

"No, I don't." Picard stepped around the table and took her hands,  
pulling her to stand in front of him. Then he kissed her, ever so  
gently. "Do I feel the fear fading?" he pondered in a serious tone,  
which would have been more effective had his eyes not been smiling.

"I don't know about you, but I certainly do," said Beverly,  
leaning forward to initiate a kiss this time.

Picard broke away. "The conference," he mumbled into her hair.

"Right. Conference," replied the doctor as Picard gently brushed  
her hair out of her eyes. "I'll go now."

"All right." The captain released her for a second, then pulled  
her to him again. "Promise me you'll be here the minute I get back."

"I *promise*, Jean-Luc."

Picard went to change uniforms so he could beam down at 07:30. But  
this time he did it with a little more of a spring in his step, and  
with a definite smile playing across his face.

The time for cowardice was over.

THE END


End file.
